Description

The monument consists of the remains of Trumpan Church and burial ground on Waternish, Skye. The monument was first scheduled on 17 June 1936. On this occasion, an inadequate area was included to protect all of the archaeological remains: the present rescheduling rectifies this.

The church dates from the medieval period and may have been dedicated to St Connan. It was the site of a massacre of Macleods by Clanranlad Macdonalds of N Uist, when the MacDonalds fired the church while the Macleods were at worship. The local populace caught the MacDonalds as they were making their way back to their galleys and defeated them at Millegearraib. The church is also one of the suggested final resting-places of the ill-fated 18th century kidnap victim, Lady Grange.

The church is now ruined; it is orientated E-W and oblong on plan and measures externally c.15m x 6.5m. The E wall stands to gable end height with a lancet window 1.2m above the ground. The W wall is 2.2m high at the N end, tapering to 1m high in the S. The N wall is 2m high and contains at its W end a small rough arched doorway; the S wall 1m high in the E and 0.3m elsewhere. Within the interior of the church, there is a late medieval grave slab and a font. The grave slab has been moved from the burial ground and is now very worn. It is decorated with a claymore with straight quillions and a round pommel, terminating in a blunt spike. On either side of the hilt is an animal, from whose tail springs a foliageous design.

Within the burial ground there is the 'Priest Stone', a rough four-sided monolith c1.3m in height. The stone stands in a low, stone mound. The burial ground also contains a second medieval grave slab, SW of the church. The slab is finely decorated with the effigy of a tonsured priest, under an arabesque canopy. The figure is dressed in chasuble and cope, with hands placed in front as if at prayer. The apex of the canopy terminates in foliageous design. In the upper part of the stone, within a circle, is an interlaced foliageous cross, and in the lower part is a long stemmed chalice.

The area to be scheduled includes the church, the old burial ground, the carved grave slabs and the 'Priest Stone.' The area is roughly rectangular with maximum dimensions of about 58m NW-SE by 45m transversely as marked in red on the attached map. The scheduled area is defined by the wall of the burial ground, which is excluded from the scheduling. All modern burial lairs still in use, within and without the church, are excluded from the scheduling.

Source: Historic Environment Scotland

Sources

Bibliography
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Source: Historic Environment Scotland